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General Ulysses S. Grant: The Soldier and the Man
In this new biography of General Ulysses S. Grant, acclaimed Civil War historian, Edward G. Longacre, examines Grant's early life and his military career for insights into his great battlefield successes as well as his personal misfortunes. Longacre concentrates on Grant's boyhood and early married life; his moral, ethical, and religious views; his troubled military career; his strained relationships with wartime superiors; and, especially, his weakness for alcohol, which exerted a major influence on both his military and civilian careers. Longacre, to a degree that no other historian has done before, investigates Grant's alcoholism in light of his devout religious affiliations, and the role these sometimes conflicting forces had on his military career and conduct. Longacre's conclusions present a new and surprising perspective on the ever-fascinating life of General Grant.
368 pages, Paperback
First published June 19, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 24, 2012
This is a strange book, as it gives the impression that the only reason for it being written and published at all is to act as propaganda for the theory that Grant was an alcoholic. Longacre seems positively obsessed with the "drinking issue," showing scant interest in any other aspect of Grant's important and compelling life story. Every negative story ever told about Grant's alleged problem with the bottle, no matter how questionable, or even discredited, it may be, is trotted out as solid fact, while any evidence to the contrary is either ignored or casually belittled. This is not a biography; it is a prosecutor's argument to a jury.
Grant's pre-war life (nearly forty years!) is given merely a brief, shallow assessment, his post-1865 years are ignored entirely, (probably because tales of Grant's drinking sprees become few and far between after the war,) and the bulk of the book--Longacre's account of the Civil War itself--says nothing that you could not find in a million other books and magazine articles. In fact, most of "The Soldier and the Man" reads like Brooks Simpson's "Triumph Over Adversity" after being pickled in alcohol.
In short, unless you share Longacre's single-minded fascination with the notion that Grant was nothing but a white-knuckled drunk, you will find little in this book to excite your interest.
Grant's pre-war life (nearly forty years!) is given merely a brief, shallow assessment, his post-1865 years are ignored entirely, (probably because tales of Grant's drinking sprees become few and far between after the war,) and the bulk of the book--Longacre's account of the Civil War itself--says nothing that you could not find in a million other books and magazine articles. In fact, most of "The Soldier and the Man" reads like Brooks Simpson's "Triumph Over Adversity" after being pickled in alcohol.
In short, unless you share Longacre's single-minded fascination with the notion that Grant was nothing but a white-knuckled drunk, you will find little in this book to excite your interest.
November 17, 2020
Very good biography
November 7, 2024
I like it. Although every war is difficult to read, it uses simple language and I was able to understand it. I enjoy it so much
May 31, 2015
I selected this book because of my US History class. Learning that the Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates General Robert Lee to end the Civil War, I would like to learn more about him, especially to clarify some accusation about him being a drunkard or a failure in everything else he did outside the army. This book covers U.S. Grant’s childhood and his life before the Civil War well. After reading this book, I develop more respect for General Grant because of his simple and non-arrogant character, his determination to work hard outside his military life (doing whatever it takes to support his family, whether farming, or doing clerical work or hard labor work), his strength of not to give up when the War Department overlooked and did not accept him back as a colonel, and his courage to pursue General Lee relentlessly to defeat him, bringing an end to the long and deadly Civil War. I could see how the boredom in the army life and how the long absences from his family caused him to be lonely and depressed to pick up drinking. Or it could be that he inherited the gene from his paternal grandfather that caused him to be predisposed to drinking. The author also mentioned that General Grant suffered from migraines, which can be debilitating.
I enjoyed reading about his family life, and was happy to see that his wife treated him well and believed in him, even at the most difficult times in their lives. She was always positive and saw things in the best possible lights. The story about him not being shot by the Confederates troops less than 50 feet away when he was alone across the harvested corn field in Belmont, Kentucky and his wife’s vision of him on horseback as in the battle at the exact time and date was a psychic experience or miracle (Page 106). The style of this book is easy to read and follow, not boring like other Civil War books. In short, as I like President Abraham Lincoln more after studying his Gettysburg address, I like Lieutenant General Grant more after reading this book about his life.
I enjoyed reading about his family life, and was happy to see that his wife treated him well and believed in him, even at the most difficult times in their lives. She was always positive and saw things in the best possible lights. The story about him not being shot by the Confederates troops less than 50 feet away when he was alone across the harvested corn field in Belmont, Kentucky and his wife’s vision of him on horseback as in the battle at the exact time and date was a psychic experience or miracle (Page 106). The style of this book is easy to read and follow, not boring like other Civil War books. In short, as I like President Abraham Lincoln more after studying his Gettysburg address, I like Lieutenant General Grant more after reading this book about his life.
April 21, 2018
Biographer Edward G. Longacre’s biography of Grant is a biography of The Soldier and The Man from his birth in 1822 in Ohio up until near the end of the Civil War when the war ended militarily for Grant on April 9, 1865, when Grant and his staff rode off to discuss General Robert Lee’s terms of surrender at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Longacre's biography is also a military history of Grant’s time in the Civil War with detailed description and with some maps of the battles Grant was involved in. Most of the book is about the Civil War. Longacre, does an excellent job, I feel, covering the childhood and pre-Civil War experience of Grant, including his experience during the Mexican-American War. Longacre writes a balanced view of Grant and I think he is a part of the current generation of historians like Josiah Bunting and Ron Chernow, which are trying to write more positive nuance views of Grant than maybe existed before in the study of Grant. I think Longacre admires Grant, but he also does not overlook the parts of General Grant’s biography and personality that do not reflect well on Grant. I read this biography sort of randomly. I realized that I kept seeing Grant’s sites or going to places with a connection to Grant but I did not know that much about him. Longacre’s book was on the bookshelf at my library. I am glad I did.
June 30, 2014
Picked it up at the used book store for a couple of bucks. Worth the money.
The author states his case for writing the book as a mission to shed light on "topics and issues that appear to have received insufficient attention... Grant's boyhood and early married life.... his relationships with his parents, his in-laws...and, especially his weakness for alcohol,..".
Well, while those and many other things are touched on, some of which have been explored in other books in greater detail, none of them are really presented here in such a fashion or with additional facts to shed any new light on the topics.
I found the book an easy read and I am glad to have read it if only to have included the authors perspective in the overall understanding and view of Grant. There are some interesting and entertaining anecdotes regarding Grant's relationships with his family, subordinates, superiors and general associates, but there is nothing ground breaking to find here. I didn't feel that I learned anything substantial about Grant from this book that I could not have learned from wikipedia.
Those interested in Grant should find some interest in blowing through it - I would say it is worth a summer weekend read - but only if you can find it in the bargain bin.
The author states his case for writing the book as a mission to shed light on "topics and issues that appear to have received insufficient attention... Grant's boyhood and early married life.... his relationships with his parents, his in-laws...and, especially his weakness for alcohol,..".
Well, while those and many other things are touched on, some of which have been explored in other books in greater detail, none of them are really presented here in such a fashion or with additional facts to shed any new light on the topics.
I found the book an easy read and I am glad to have read it if only to have included the authors perspective in the overall understanding and view of Grant. There are some interesting and entertaining anecdotes regarding Grant's relationships with his family, subordinates, superiors and general associates, but there is nothing ground breaking to find here. I didn't feel that I learned anything substantial about Grant from this book that I could not have learned from wikipedia.
Those interested in Grant should find some interest in blowing through it - I would say it is worth a summer weekend read - but only if you can find it in the bargain bin.
August 12, 2015
This is a very well done biography on the former President. But you should know going in, this concentrates on his life as a soldier. The book ends with the ending of the civil war. So this book does not take into any account his rise to Presidency and his Presidency itself. There is great concentration on his Generalship with a very good look at his decisions right and wrong plus his luck, good and bad, and the kind of leader he was. Well done. I really felt I got the measure of the man by reading this.
November 3, 2014
Pretty good read. The Civil Was is not my favorite history period so I really don't know much about it. We are never taught in school that Grant had a continuing battle with alcoholism, very tragic! His efforts were a combination of luck and skill. Very well put together book.
July 8, 2011
Grant was a failure in the army's peacetime officer corps and as a businessman in civiliaan life yet excelled during the Civil War. He was beset with many scandals as president.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews